BreakThru! hits different when it boots instantly in your browser. Released in 1994 on the Super Nintendo, this retro classic from Spectrum HoloByte (Windows, MS-DOS, SNES, Game Boy), Shoeisha is ready the second you press start — no downloads, no setup.
BreakThru! is a tile-matching puzzle video game released for Windows and MS-DOS in 1994. It was created by Steve Fry for the Japanese company ZOO Corporation and published by Spectrum HoloByte for the North American market.
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| Action | Keyboard | Controller |
|---|---|---|
| D-Pad Up | ↑ | D-Pad up |
| D-Pad Down | ↓ | D-Pad down |
| D-Pad Left | ← | D-Pad left |
| D-Pad Right | → | D-Pad right |
| B (bottom) | X | Bottom face |
| A (right) | Z | Right face |
| Y (left) | S | Left face |
| X (top) | A | Top face |
| L | Q | Left shoulder |
| R | E | Right shoulder |
| Start | Enter | Start |
| Select | V | Select |
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The Story Behind BreakThru!
A version for Game Gear was planned but never released. It is a reworked version of a game called TheWALL that was also created by ZOO Corporation in 1994 and published by Arrow Micro-Techs Corp. Because the game's original concept is so heavily based on matching same colored squares, the squares in this version of the game have different patterns within them to distinguish between different square types.
After being released for the MS-DOS and Super NES, the game was later ported to the original Game Boy. is a tile-matching puzzle video game released for Windows and MS-DOS in 1994. In the same year, the game was ported for the Super NES and the original Game Boy.
How BreakThru! Plays
It was created by Steve Fry for the Japanese company ZOO Corporation and published by Spectrum HoloByte for the North American market. A few "special items" help clear out blocks that do not necessarily match, such as an airplane block that eliminates a full line of squares in the direction it is pointed in, or a block of dynamite that blows up every square touching it. is a tile-matching puzzle video game released for Windows and MS-DOS in 1994.
All squares must be "removed", and squares can only be removed if they are directly touching two or more squares of the same color. Once squares are removed, blocks shift downward and to the left or right to fill in the blanks. A Sega Genesis version was released the following year via Sega Channel.
Why Players Still Load It Up
Reviewing the Game Boy version, GamePro praised a few aspects, such as the ability to reverse approaching blocks, but felt that the "eye-straining graphics" severely hamper the gameplay: "While Tetris has simple, easy-to-see shapes that fall individually, BreakThru! has a complex wall of tiny, hard-to-see bricks with special bricks and bombs that are sometimes difficult to identify." However, they commented that this problem is considerably alleviated when playing on the Super Game Boy. In the same year, the game was ported for the Super NES and the original Game Boy. In a retrospective review of the SNES version, Honest Gamers appreciated the initial concept of the game, but criticized how it frequently degrades into slow and frustrating gameplay once none of the remaining squares match each other.
Though they criticized some aspects of the graphics, they applauded the game's simple-to-learn yet strategically deep gameplay and variety of modes. It was created by Steve Fry for the Japanese company ZOO Corporation and published by Spectrum HoloByte for the North American market. He remarked that the use of special objects complicates the gameplay without truly adding to it, and gave the game two out of five stars.
BreakThru! — Frequently Asked Questions
Who developed BreakThru!?
BreakThru! was developed by Spectrum HoloByte (Windows, MS-DOS, SNES, Game Boy), Shoeisha and published by Spectrum HoloByte (Windows, MS-DOS, SNES, Game Boy), Shoeisha.
Where can I buy the original BreakThru!?
Scroll to "Other Places You Can Get This Game" beneath the write-up — it lists trusted stores selling official copies.
What console was BreakThru! released on?
BreakThru! was released for the Super Nintendo in 1994.
Can I save my progress in BreakThru!?
It does — with a free account you can snapshot the game at any point using save states, then pick it up later from exactly that spot.